Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-04-07
PROTECTION FOR FARMERS.
Duties on Woods and WOOlens.
and Imports for 26 Years.

Production and Imports for 26 Years.
A year ago farmers wanted to know
why the price of WOOL was remarkably
low Now wooden msDufac ur+rs want
to know why prices of goods afford 80
little encouragement to producers. The
average value of American wool to
farmers was % cents in 1885. and only
"a cents in 1885. and the consequence
Was that 1000. 600 sheep were slaughter
ed and the production of wool was di
minished, according to the Agricultural
Bureau, no less than 23.O00,0e0 lbs. Now
manufacturing companies begin to close
their mills because they can make moth
ing at present prices of wool, labor and
cloth. Many of them wonder why tits
that no advance In prices Is found pOssi-
BILE, the demand barely sustaining the
present production. at a time when
general revival in business seems to be
in progress. These things are the natu-
raj result, however, first of pernicious
decisions of the Treasury regarding du.
ties on waste wool and noils, and re-
garding duties on worsted goods second.
of the vicious tariff Of 1888. which cut
down the duty on wool and also on
woolen goods, and. third, of the election
of President and the formation of an
administration more friendly to import
ers than to home industry.
For twenty years prior to 1860 there
was DO protection for wool growing. ex>
cept the temporary benefit afforded by
the tariff of 1912 which was repealed
before it had developed the wooien
manufacture. Under the tariff Of 1S46
the duty until 1857 was 80 per cent. and
under the tariff of 1857 the duty. until
1851 was "a per cent, both being ad va
loren duties, and consequently least ef-
fective when the price of wool is low
and the wool grower most needs de
fence against foreign competition. A
more serious objection to the ad valo+
rem duty on wool is that it can be easily
evaded by false or fraudulent statements
of cost at foreign ports. Under these
tariffs, moreover, lew grades of foreign
wool we're admitted free of duty, and
there was an open door to fraud through
false swearing as to the quality of wool
imported. No increase occurted In the
consumption Of wool per capita from
1s4O to 1880. Reports of the Agricul
tural Bureau show that the consump-
tion in 1910 was 34 pounds per capita.
in 1850 1t was SO pounds per capita, and
10 1860 only "a per capita. Moreover.
there was an actual decrease during
these twenty years in the quantity of
homegrown wool consumed in this
country for each inhabitant; in 1910, on
ly 2.5 pounds of domestic wool was con
sumed in the manufacture for each In
hsbitant, and in 1860 only 2.3 pounds.
The protective tariff of 1851. and the
extraordinary demand caused by the
scarcity of cotton during the war, large'
ly increased the production and con-
sumption of wool in this country. But
after the war prices fell. and It was seen
that better tariff was needed. For
eign competition began to break down
the defences of tariff and to check the
growth of wool production. Conferen>
ces of wool growers and manufacturers
resulted in the tariff of 1857. That
great measure was based on q clear uD
derstanding that it was equally harmful
to the wool grower. if q large part of the
wool worn by American consumers
came into the country from abroad.
whether In the form of goods or in the
form of wool; and that 1t was equally
harmful to the manufacturer. if the
ability of wool producers In this coun-
try to increase their production was
impaired. by excessive imports either of
raw material or of goods, because the
manufacturer then became dependent
upon foreign markets for his material.
With this enlightened understanding
of their common interests, the growers
of wool and the manufacturers united
in recommending and supporting a.
strongly defensive tariff which, without
seeking to prohibit importation either
of wool or of goods, nevertheless did
build up so effective barrier against
foreign competition that for seventeen
years the production of wool and the
manufacture of woolen goods increased
with marvellous rapidity. Under that
tariff the consumption of wool ad
vanced from 175,00O,O00 to 375,0O00 900
pounds, and instead of only 8 pounds of
wool consumed in 1860 for each inhabi-
tant in 1888, as the result of effective
protection for grower and manufacturer
both. The following statistics of wool
production, imports and consumption
are taken from official reports of the
Treasury Department, and for years
prior to 1880 are for fiscal years ending
June 80, the quantities produced being
the crops of preceding calendar years as
reported by the Agricultural Bureau
Thus for the fiscal year 1885 7, ending
June 80, 1867, the crop included is that
of the calendar year 1885, by the Bureau
reckoUed at 16O,OOO.OOO pounds. For
1880 and all later years the net imports
of wool are for calendar years, and thus
both the production and the actual inn
purtaLion of the same twelve month are
included in each case. Current trade re-
ports give somewhat larger figures for
the later years, but official statements
are here used, because, emaDating from
Democratic Administration, they will
not be disputed by free traders:
Years. Production. Net imports. Consumption
| 1872 .eO0O00O0 40,6A,720 1864, ,720
| 1925 . .106, 100000 ", ,867,S72 us, ,S67, ,S72
| 1854. ..12S, 100000 eO085045 219,0S5 045
| 1S64-5 80. .142,000,000 42694,691 164 1884 691
J 1855 155 100000 7I7055 229,707, ,554
| 1881. .160,0O0,000 156S2,0 ,04l 175,6S2 0A
| 1878 . 1853 100000 20764 ,5l8 1ss, ,764, SIC
| 1889 18OOO0OOO 49, 122 218 48g I22
| or